Megalithic Art Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This paper traces the development of techniques of recording carvings on megalithic tombs and on open-air rock-art in Ireland from 1699 to the present day. Analysis shows that after the initial pioneering phase, recording methodologies tended to develop in accelerated bursts, interspersed with lulls in activity. In all, four phases of activity can be identified; in each there were a critical number of researchers who interacted with each other, driving forward advances in various forms of recording methods. Part 2 of the paper describes the application of new methods of digital recording, notably Structure from Motion photogrammetry. It shows how the resulting data have been used to create new ways of experiencing Irish prehistoric art in virtual environments, either as entire monuments in the landscape or within a “virtual museum”, using the open-source Blender 3D animation and game engine software.

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- Photogrammetry, Virtual Environments, Computer Games Technology, Prehistoric Art

The presence of cinnabar in collective graves in the interior of the Iberia reveals a symbolic role identifying ritual practices well known in megaliths in the south of the peninsula. The data from the necropolis of Valle de las Higueras at Toledo, in the context of the Chalcolithic of the peninsula interior (from the 4th to the 3rd millennium cal BC), provide a point of reference for discussing "funerary red" in later Prehistory. The exotic source of cinnabar, probably from Almadén, adds an original aspect. While cinnabar was the "specific" funerary red of the south of the Iberia, the evidence found in Catalonia and southeastern France reflects the major role played by the Ebro valley. Combined with the circuits for ivory, amber and gold, it underlines the role of the south in the emergence of funerary models that became particularly important across Europe in the 3rd millennium (at the same time as use of bell beakers reaches its hight). The data from Iberian megaliths from which pigment samples have been taken, shows a clear difference between the red used for the constructional features of the tombs, in stone or earth, and the red used for bones and human figurines. Cinnabar was reserved for the latter, while walls were decorated with iron oxides. The engraved decorations associated with painting on figurines are convincing proof of the importance of dyed clothing, as well as the more than probable presence of ceremonial garments, shrouds, body paint, tatoos or masks. Through the source of their red colour, the deceased possibly display narratives that come from their everyday life, such as the work of miners, or else their social position through clothes, tatoos and funerary body paint. On the basis of the archaeological evidence analysed here, various explanations can be suggested for the use of cinnabar: a rituality in which red plays the role of a sign of life and death with symbols that persist throughout the Iberian Neolithic and Chalcolithic. Résumé : La présence de cinabre dans les sépultures collectives du centre de la péninsule Ibérique, montre un rôle symbolique identifiant des pratiques rituelles bien connues dans les mégalithes du sud de la péninsule. Les données obtenues sur la nécropole de Valle de las Higueras à Toledo, dans le contexte du Chalcolithique de l'intérieur péninsu-laire (dès le IV e jusqu'au III e millénaire cal BC), constituent un point de repère pour réfléchir sur le « rouge funéraire » dans la Préhistoire récente. La source exotique de cinabre, probablement d'Almadén, ajoute un élément unique. Alors que le cinabre était le rouge funéraire « spécifique » du sud de la péninsule Ibérique, les indices trouvés en Catalogne et dans le sud-est de la France témoignent du rôle majeur joué par la vallée de l'Èbre. S'ajoutant aux circuits de l'ivoire, de l'ambre et de l'or, il souligne le rôle du sud dans l'apparition de modèles funéraires qui, au troisième millénaire (en même temps que l'utilisation des gobelets campaniformes est à son apogée), devient particulièrement importante dans toute l'Europe. Les informations provenant des mégalithes ibériques où des pigments ont été prélevés, montrent une nette différence entre le rouge utilisé dans les structures architectoniques des tombes, de pierre ou de terre, et le rouge utilisé pour les os et les figurines humaines. Le cinabre était réservé à ces derniers tandis que les parois sont décorées avec des oxydes du fer. Les décorations gravées associées à la peinture sur les figurines sont une preuve convaincante de la valeur des vêtements teints, ainsi que de la présence plus que probable de vêtements de cérémonie, de linceuls, de peintures cor-porelles, de tatouages ou de masques. Bueno-Ramírez B., Barroso-Bermejo R., Balbín-Behrmann R. de (2019)-Funerary red (cinnabar versus ochre) and megalithic rituals in the central Iberian peninsula. The hypogean necropolis of Valle de las Higueras, Huecas, Toledo, Spain, Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 116, 1, p. 73-93.

- by Mimi Bueno and +1
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- Landscape Archaeology, Painting, Symbolic Interaction, Neolithic Archaeology
- by Eamonn P Kelly
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Megalithic Monuments

Terracotta figurines have been occasionally reported from Megalithic context in Kerala previously. During excavation of urn burials at Malampuzha, district Palaghat, associated with it large number of terracotta figurines were found. In sheer variety and numbers this surpasses any previously reported terracotta find. This article briefly discusses the terracottas found.

The author analyses some cases of mind/body experiences, with acoustic origins, occurred within prehistoric chambers with Neolithic art, relating them with the discoveries of recent neurophysiologic research based on hearing non-semantic sounds. Acoustic phenomena such as standing waves, and infrasound and resonant frequencies are also considered regarding the effects that they could have produced in the minds of prehistoric and protohistoric people. It will be discussed if some cases of Neolithic art can be the “depiction” of the mentioned mind/body experiences or the result of other phenomena with acoustic origins.
Key-words: Neolithic Art, Archaeoacoustics, Neuroscience, standing waves, infrasound.

Mouras Encantadas are supernatural beings in Portuguese folklore. They live in megalith tombs and guard the entrance to the world beyond.
This study compares the archaeological data of the tombs to the folklore - stories, traditions, perceptions and beliefs concerning the tombs.
The aim of the study is to determine whether it is possible that some fragmentary material from the ancient religious worldview might have been carried to the present day in the symbolic level.
Theoretical background for the study is the idea of symbols as the core of myths - the oldest and most permanent strata of mythologies, which could remain unchangeable or chance very slowly, while the myths around would change faster, following the changes of the society.
Changes in burial habits indicate changes in society and in its ideology. The study is following the changes of burial practices, trying to find out what the changes are possibly telling about the ideologies prevailing in the society in different times, and what they tell about the significance given to the megalith tombs.
The conclusion of the study is that folklore of Portuguese megalith tombs has absorbed material from many different eras, throughout the long existence of the tombs, and that in consideration of the symbolic similarities between the archaeological material and the folklore, it is possible that some fragmentary material of the Neolithic worldview has really been carried to the present day, hidden inside the symbols of folklore.

- by Kewin Peche-Quilichini and +1
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology

El nº 7 de la revista Illunzar recoge el contenido de las XIX JORNADAS DE ARQUEOLOGÍA DE URDAIBAI (“El Conjunto Monumental de Katillotxu: una mirada al Megalitismo cantábrico”), celebradas los días 26 y 27 de noviembre de 2009 en el Centro de la Biodiversidad de Euskadi (Busturia). A través de un Seminario Científico, se presentaron los resultados del estudio pluridisciplinar del monumento megalítico de Katillotxu V y del proyecto de conservación y difusión del Conjunto Monumental de Katillotxu. El Seminario se estructuró en tres partes: a) una serie de 3 ponencias sobre el Megalitismo cantábrico y el Arte Megalítico del Norte de la Península Ibérica; b) una presentación preliminar de la excavación arqueológica y estudio pluridisciplinar del dolmen de Katillotxu V; y c) dos comunicaciones, desde el ámbito de la Administración, sobre protección legal y gestión del Patrimonio Megalítico de Bizkaia.

- by Juan Carlos López Quintana
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- Megalithic Monuments, Megalithic Art, Cantabrian Region

"The megalithic tomb at Montelirio is off the scale in more ways than one. As well as being the largest example of its type known in Spain, the burial goods secreted in its subterranean chambers are unsurpassed in both quantity and... more

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán
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- Religion, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Art History

A perforated vessel (#2646) exists in the Heraklion Museum, Crete, found at Knossos and thought of the Late Palace Period. Consisting of painted pottery punctuated by circles of similar holes, this paper demonstrates how the vessel could have been used to predict eclipses based upon the rational relationship of the synod of Saturn to the lunar month and year. Thirty eight eclipse seasons can be seen, the seven fold iconography of Chronos (=Cronos) as the seven-day week which divides into various celestial periods and hence is a good reason for choosing the week the West now observes. The paper also discusses how the disk may reflect the cultural transormation between Chronos and his son Zeus, born on Crete within Greek mythology.

Gods, deities, symbolism, deposition, cosmology and intentionality are all features of the study of early ritual and cult. Archaeology has great difficulties in providing satisfactory interpretation or recognition of these elusive but important parts of ancient society, and methodologies are often poorly equipped to explore the evidence. This collection of papers explores a wide range of prehistoric and early historic archaeological contexts from Britain, Europe and beyond, where monuments, architectural structures, megaliths, art, caves, ritual activity and symbolic remains offer exciting glimpses into ancient belief systems and cult behaviour. Different theoretical and practical approaches are demonstrated, offering both new directions and considered conclusions to the many problems of studying the archaeology of cult and ritual. Central to the volume is an exploration of early Malta and its intriguing Temple Culture, set in a broad perspective by the discussion and theoretical approaches presented in different geographical and chronological contexts.

- by David Barrowclough
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- Religion, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Comparative Religion, History
- by Florian Soula
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- Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Phenomenology
- by Francisco José Vicente Santos and +2
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Art, Megalithic Monuments, Prehistoric Art

El dolmen de Soto es uno de los mayores monumentos megalíticos de Europa. Fue publicado por H. Obermaier en 1924 y casi cien años después, este volumen presenta la primera documentación gráfica sobre sus soportes, incluyendo análisis de pigmentos y dataciones del contexto arqueológico interno y externo del sepulcro. Su arquitectura es el resultado de las transformaciones de un centro ceremonial en un gran monumento megalítico a principios del IV milenio cal BC.. Desde el Neolítico al Bronce Final, generación tras generación, las imágenes de las paredes del dolmen de Soto perpetúan en el sepulcro de los ancestros sus nexos con el pasado.

- by Mimi Bueno and +5
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- Metallurgy, Symbolism, Symbolic Interaction, Funerary Archaeology

The presence of painted, carved or sculpted
decorations in European funerary contexts makes
megalithic art a basic reference in order to classify the use of
burial areas. Complex graphic programmes of paintings,
engravings and sculptures constituted an essential part
of funerary rites. The burial models provided by the
Iberian Peninsula are a great contribution to the study of
funerary graphics. Moreover, their concurrent open air
versions open unforeseen expectations for a re-evaluation
of the whole of megalithic art in Europe.

- by Mimi Bueno and +1
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- European Studies, Painting, Symbolism, Funerary Archaeology

"Because of its design and scale, Menga is an outstanding megalithic monument. As such, it has also had a remarkable biography, dating back to the early part of the 4th millennium BC and spanning all prehistoric and historic periods since then. This paper presents, for the first time, a comprehensive review of the evidence available to understand Menga’s journey through time. The data presented here help understand issues such as the chronology of the building of the monument, its frequentation and use throughout Late Prehistory or its re-use as burial ground in Roman and Medieval times. To date, no other Iberian megalithic monument has shown such pervasiveness as a place filled with long-term ideological significance for memory and identity."

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán and +1
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- Religion, History, Ancient History, Cultural History

English: This book, stemming from the Project "Nature, Society and Monumentality: High Resolution Archaeological Investigations of the Antequera Megalithic Landscape (MEGA)" developed by the University of Seville between 2014 and 2017, represents a major leap forward towards a renewed research paradigm of the great prehistoric site of Antequera. A 'high resolution' approach is applied to the archaeological record of the Menga dolmen, through the study of the excavations carried out in the spring of 2005. During the last two years, 25 specialists in numerous fields of scientific research, including morphological analysis of ceramic and lithic materials, traceology, geoarchaeology, sedimentology, archaeometallurgy, numismatics, bioarchaeology (faunal and human remains) and radiocarbon dating, have applied a variety of analytical techniques to study the evidence recorded in said excavation. As a result, we obtain a first image of the extraordinary biography of Menga, one of the most remarkable megalithic monuments in the world. Built in the first half of the 4th millennium cal BC, used as a temple in the Late Prehistory and as burial ground (and possible also as a ritual space) in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Menga witnessed an intense activity in Modern and Contemporary History as well. Throughout this book, we reveal surprising discoveries and unexpected details of that long biography, a reflection of almost 6000 years of human experience in which Menga has been a first-order social and cultural reference.
Español: Esta obra, derivada del Proyecto “Naturaleza, Sociedad y Monumentalidad:
Investigaciones Arqueológicas de Alta Resolución del Paisaje Megalítico de Antequera (MEGA)” desarrollado por la Universidad de Sevilla dentro del Plan Nacional I+D del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad entre 2014 y 2017, supone un importante salto adelante para dar inicio a una etapa de investigaciones renovadas en el gran sitio prehistórico antequerano. Esta monografía constituye la primera aproximación de ‘alta resolución’ al registro arqueológico del dolmen de Menga, realizada a partir del estudio de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en la primavera de 2005. A este estudio han contribuido 25 especialistas en muy diversos campos de la investigación científica
que a lo largo de dos años han aplicado técnicas de análisis que van desde los estudios de morfología de materiales cerámicos y líticos o la numismática, hasta la geoarqueología, la sedimentología, la arqueometalurgia, la bioarqueología (en sus dos variantes, faunística y antropológica), la datación radiocarbónica o la traceología. Como resultado de este estudio se obtiene una primera imagen de la extraordinaria biografía del dolmen de Menga, uno de los monumentos megalíticos más singulares del mundo. Construido en la primera mitad del IV milenio Antes de Nuestra Era, y utilizado como templo en la Prehistoria Reciente y espacio funerario en la Antigüedad y el Medievo, Menga conoció también una intensa actividad en las épocas moderna y contemporánea. A lo largo de esta obra se revelan descubrimientos y detalles sorprendentes de esa larga biografía, resumen y reflejo de casi 6000 años de experiencia humana en los que Menga ha sido un referente social y cultural de primer orden.

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán and +1
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Mediterranean prehistory
- by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
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- Religion, Asian Studies, Anthropology, Indian studies

Cet ouvrage bilingue (français et anglais) de 800 pages, réunis une cinquantaine de contributions sur le mégalithisme d’Europe occidental, classées par thème et par grandes régions géographiques. Il correspond aux actes du colloque international qui s’est tenu au Musée de Bougon en 2002. Chaque chapitre commence par une synthèse des acquis de la recherche dans ce domaine au cours des vingt dernières années, effectuée par l’un des meilleurs spécialistes du moment. Pour chaque grande région concernée, suivent les communications traitant de sites ou de points particuliers. Cet ouvrage constitue une référence pour tous ceux qui s’intéressent aux dolmens et aux menhirs, et ne possède à ce jour aucun équivalent en Europe par la somme des études qui y sont réunies.

- by Luc Laporte
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Funerary Archaeology

"This special issue of "Patrimonio Histórico" (Historical Heritage), the bulletin of the Andalusian Historical Heritage Institute, brings together a series of contributions aimed at disseminating the concept of megalithic heritage among cultural and historical heritage specialists. It provides a general overview of the basic themes involved in today's research of the megalithic phenomenon (section "ideas, theories, problems"), the main methodological innovations the field has experienced in recent years ("sciences, methods"), the public perceptions involved ("perceptions") as well as a series of major megalithic sites of southern Iberia ("sites, interventions, management")."

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán
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- Religion, History, Ancient History, Sociology of Religion
- by Andrew Collins
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- Mythology And Folklore, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Mythology

Beyond "essentialism": recurring patterns of female symbolism in ritual culture and modern theoretical preoccupations with 'fertility idols." The female figurines, central icons of the paleolithic and neolithic. Vulva petroglyphs on a global scale. Megalithic women, cupules, and rock dust. Symbolic patterns of the ceramic figurines and what they might tell us about ceremonial paintup, dress, and practices. Breastpots and female effigy vessels, and some striking similarities between urns widely separated in time and place.

- by Fen Kacin
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Shamanism, Archaeology of Religion

The megalithic phenomenon is one of the most exciting subjects of study in prehistory. The practice of monumentalising places of special significance by erecting large stones started during the Neolithic period, approximately 10.000 years ago. On time, it acquired such a social and ideological depth that it became one of the most geographically and temporally widespread cultural phenomena ever known in Europe. In Andalusia, megalithic sites and landscapes express themselves with great richness and diversity, representing an exceptional source of scientific information for our understanding of our forebears’ ways of life, as well as a unique and beautiful historical legacy. This book combines the contributions of various university professors, who bring us up to date with their research, with excellent photographic illustrations and, for the first time, reflects the spread of this cultural phenomenon throughout Andalusia. It is suitable for both those who wish to deepen their knowledge of this professional specialisation and those who seek the pleasure of a satisfied interest.

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, History, Ancient History

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in South India have numerous megalithic sites. The region also shows great variety in megalithic types. The region has given one of the earliest date for iron in India, which has come from a megalith. There are megalithic monuments with unique features. The stone sarcophagus and trimmed stone circles are found only in this region. The region also has largest number of anthropomorphic statues. These statues are the earliest stone carved figures from India. Some of the megalithic sites also indicate astronomical features. The earliest depiction of Ursa Major from south Asia comes from this region.

- by KP RAO
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- Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, Sculpture

This article does not presume to summarize the immense complexity of megalithism in France over a period of nearly three millenia, but rather to contribute a few elements of reflection to the numerous research directions it inspires. It first insists on the importance of finally eliminating a number of accepted ideas; among which, the tendency to systematically classify the architecture of burial spaces in function of their “apparent” complexity, from the most simple to the most elaborate. Numerous examples show that the megalithic phenomenon is complex, not linear. Each monument, today in ruins, is the result of several architectural projects, in the true sense of the term. The construction of a site, supposes at the same time a succession of technical acts that also merit detailed study, in the same manner as that which specialists of the Medieval period call the archeology of construction. We also wish to emphasize the necessity of addressing Megalithism from the perspective of architecture, grave goods and human remains (when they are preserved), as these three aspects are often intertwined. Finally, a megalithic monument must be understood in its space, the funerary space in the broad sense, as well as the burial space. From this perspective, a multitude of question and numerous research directions appear. Megalithism is not an outdated subjet, but an innovative one, for which much remains to be done.

- by Luc Laporte
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology

Las placas decoradas conforman uno de los conjuntos más numerosos de figuritas de la prehistoria reciente de la Península Ibérica. Su extensión geográfica y su alargada diacronía, se suma a la mayoritaria elección de sus soportes: esquisto, y a sus aplicaciones de color: rojo (a veces cinabrio), para integrar estas producciones en los gestos orientados a la creación y mantenimiento de complejos escenarios funerarios.. Una lectura actualizada ha de incluir la documentación de estructuras organizadas al interior de los sepulcros, o de cuevas naturales y artificiales, así como su presencia en recintos de foso y en otras ubicaciones no funerarias, que acercan estas expresiones a los contextos conocidos en otras tipologías muebles ibéricas. El abundante arte megalítico ibérico abre una puerta novedosa para fijar el papel de las placas decoradas como modelo para la realización de piezas mayores: los soportes dolménicos.las placas decoradas ofrecen una excelente plataforma de discusión sobre las raíces antiguas de las exhibiciones de figuras humanas en la Prehistoria reciente, constituyendo uno de los núcleos más numerosos y diacrónicamente más persistentes de todo el continente.

Durante 2021, se recogió otra estela decorada en el norte del Alentejo, más precisamente en el Monte do Rebolo, que se encuentra en la parroquia de Mosteiros, en el municipio de Arronches. La pieza, de valor patrimonial único, fue encontrada por el propietario de la finca quien, mientras realizaba labores agrícolas en la "hoja" que se encuentra a unos 700 metros al noroeste de las casas del cerro, levantó una pesada "piedra" a poca profundidad, con el arado. Reconociendo de inmediato el valor de su descubrimiento arqueológico y para no perderse en la tierra arada, fue transportado al frente del cerro donde pudimos observarlo y fotografiarlo, y aquí dejamos la primera nota de su identificación.

- by Mimi Bueno and +1
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- Symbolic Interaction, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Megalithic Monuments, Death and Burial (Archaeology)

In the second part of our multivolume work we continue to present materials to give a detailed characteristic of the Chemurchek cultural phenomenon – the complex of West European megalithic traditions spreaded over the foothills of the Mongol Altai (from the Russian Altai region to Trans-Altai Gobi) in 3rd – early 2nd millenium BC (Ковалев 2011, 2012б; Kovalev 2011). The first volume included reports on excavations carried out by Russian, Mongolian and Kazakh scholars in 1998-2010 (Ковалев и др. 2014; Ковалев, Эрдэнэбаатар 2014а; 2014б ). In the present volume we place the reports on excavations of Chemurchek sites, undertaken by the Altai State University and the Khovd University in the central part of the Mongol Altai. Thirteen Chemurchek barrows with dolmen-shape chambers and circumjacent multi-layer cairns were excavated there in 2007-2014 under the conduction of A.A.Tishkin, S.P.Grushin, Ch. Munkhbayar and D.Erdenebaatar (Тишкин и др 2011; 2012а; 2012б; 2013а; Грушин и др. 2014). During a number of seasons these researches were carried out under orders of the St.-Petersburg State Museum-Institute of Rhoerihs.
In 2015 the Museum-Institute of Roerichs in collaboration with the Altai State University and Khovd University organized an expedition to excavate a unique Chemurchek sanctuary in Khar Chuluut locality in the headstream of the Khovd river. We considered it necessary to include a report on the results of this investigation into the present volume, because a comprehensive publication of the site may possibly take several years. We also tried to gather and recapitulate all the available data on Chemurchek-type sites and finds in Xinjang, even short and deficient publications of Chinese scholars and desultory information from popular books and documentaries.
A true notion of the Chemurchek cultural phenomenon can not be completed without an information concerning it's surrounding. Thereby we undertook a publication of a data on a previously unknown culture of the Early Bronze Age (contemporaneous with Chemurchek) namely the Saensayi culture of the Eastern Tien Shan. People of this culture most probably migrated to the Inner Asia from the North-Western Caspian region, and preserved a rite of burial in “shaped pits” with ritual vehicle. The Saensayi culture had close relations with Chemurchek population of East Kazakhstan, that is corroborated by the discovery of the traces of the same burial rite there, for example in the Kopa 2, Kopa 3 barrows (Ковалев и др. 2014 ).
The results of excavations of Ust’-Kamenka-2 mound in the Zmeinogorsk area of the Altai region of Russia, discovered by S.P.Grushin, gave a clear evidence that people bearing the Chemurchek cultural phenomenon had spread hundreds kilometers to the North, to the region of Yelunino (Elunino) culture distribution. The architecture of this burial construction corresponds with a standard of Chemurchek mounds, that is unique for the Bronze Age of Russian Altai.
Original photographs and drawings of pictures on stone slabs of Chemurchek burial and ritual constructions, represented in this volume, are of special importance for solving the problem of the origin of Chemurchek cultural phenomenon. Geometrical-shape paintings of slab-chambers of barrows Belen Usny Denj, Khuurai Salaany Am 1 in the Khovd aimag, and of those in Toganbay 2 M2 and Kopar in Xinjang supplement a series of analogous evidences from Chemurchek mounds of Bulgan sum (Ковалев, Эрдэнэбаатар 2014a). Now we can state with even more reasons, that the general set of compositions of Chemurchek paintings is a peculiar reproduction of leading motifs of the decorative art of megalithic cultures of France, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland. Rhombs and chevrons inscribed into each other, parallel multi-triangle festoons, sloping net, net with cells filled with roundish spots, meander-shaped and volute-shaped curves, flat areas chaotically covered with broken lines – all these in the aggregate are distinguishing characteristic of the art of “Atlantic Megalithism” (Twohig 1981; Robin G. 2009; Ковалев 2012б: 52-53). Small shale plates with geometrical ornament, discovered in Khar Chuluut also find their West-European propotypes (Lilios 2008). Fantastic creatures with parabolic or rectangular bodies and different-shaped antennae, which occupy central place in the pictures of Khar Chuluut sanctuary, meet their analogies only in megalithic monuments of France (Ковалев 2012a: 155-156, fig. 4).

- by Alexey Kovalev and +2
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Indo-European Studies, Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology

Exploration in district-Nalanda was conducted with
an objective to understand the settlement pattern of
ancient human habitation in the region. The scenario
of archaeological findings of district Nalanda has
been rapidly changed in the last decade 2000-
2010. During this time period various sites with
archaeological potentiality like Rajgir (1999-2000),
Chandimau (2000-2001), Juafardih (2006-2007),
Begampur (2007-2008), Daman-Khanda (2007-
2008) and Ghorakatora (2007-2009) have been
subjected to excavations by the Archaeological Survey
of India. On the basis of the outcome of these
excavations the antiquity of human settlements in
this Nalanda district has been traced back to pre-
Chalcolithic times.
This paper will highlight the results of the recent
explorations undertaken in Nalanda district in last
five successive years, which have brought to light
two dozen archaeological sites

- by Dr. Neetesh Saxena and +1
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Megalithic Monuments

"This book presents the papers and discussions held at the second meeting of the European Megalithic Studies Group (Seville, Spain, November 2008). This is therefore a cooperative, international book that brings together leading specialists from several European countries, including France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, and Spain. This volume revolves around two crucial aspects of recent research on prehistoric monuments: time (chronology) and matter (raw materials as used in both architecture and artefacts). Both topics have generated much discussion in recent years and form one of the main cutting edges of current research on prehistoric monuments. These two main themes have recently witnessed major advances thanks to the application of new scientific techniques to old and new archaeological problems. For the chronology theme, specific issues include the origin of prehistoric monuments, the limitations and advantages of newly available high-resolution dating techniques (such as AMS radiocarbon analysis of pigments, thermoluminiscence and OSL), and patterns of utilisation, re-utilisation and abandonment. For rare rocks, some of the specific issues covered by this book are rock selection, the frequency and type of rare materials (variscite, quartz, amber, etc.), trade and exchange, the manipulation of raw materials, the symbolic catchment of geological landscapes, and the sourcing of stones. The idea here is to explore the value, function and symbolism of the materials in their prehistoric context, their placement and positioning in relation to funerary structures (architecture) and human remains (individuals), and the evidence they provide for interregional interaction."

- by Leonardo García Sanjuán
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- Religion, History, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology

In the Basque Country (Euskal Herria) stone octagons, known as sarobe in Basque (Euskara), were built using specified dimensions, based on a “geometric foot” standard (0.278m). This standard was incorporated into a septarian system of measurements, e.g., rods of 7 g.ft. in length, called gizabete, and poles of 21 g.ft. The dimensions of the stone octagons suggest that ritual importance was attributed to their geometric design, to the size of their perimeter and their orientation. According to local tradition and Basque legal codes, the eight stones on the perimeter had to be oriented to the cardinal and inter-cardinal directions. Field work indicates that over 500 octagons may have existed inside Euskal Herria at some point in the past. In the study region the stone octagons are linked specifically to localized transhumant practices of Basque-speaking shepherds, well documented socio-cultural practices that appear to date back to the Late Bronze Age if not earlier. Inferential evidence suggests that the cognitive origins of their architectural design might reach back to the Neolithic and be related to similar pastoral traditions as well as septarian units of measure encountered along the Atlantic façade. Thus far, even though several of the sites have been Carbon-14 dated, the absolute terminus ante quem non of the design of the octagons is still uncertain.

- by Roslyn Frank
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- Celtic Studies, Basque Studies, History of Mathematics, Ethnography

La investigación sobre el fenómeno megalítico en Galicia se remonta a principios del siglo XX y su cultura material ha atraído la atención de los estudiosos desde entonces. Aunque se habían recuperado algunos objetos cultuales en los túmulos gallegos y del Norte portugués, su presencia en las tumbas era notablemente
escasa. Esta situación va a cambiar en el verano de 1980, cuando una excavación arqueológica realizada en la sepultura de corredor de Cova da Moura -A Coruña- produjo un número sorprendentemente alto de artefactos, entre cerámicas, puntas de flecha y hachas pulimentadas. Igualmente inesperado resultó el hallazgo de decenas de guijarros, lisos o apenas decorados, distribuidos por el exterior del túmulo frente a la entrada que da paso a la construcción ortostática. Dotados de una forma más o menos antropomórfica, fueron identificados como ídolos. Como sucede a menudo en Arqueología, este insólito descubrimiento fue seguido por varios otros en rápida sucesión, aunque generalmente están faltos de una publicación adecuada. Tras más de 3 décadas del primer descubrimiento, queremos reflexionar sobre lo que sabemos en torno a estas singulares representaciones en piedra, todavía relativamente escasas.

- by Ramon Fábregas Valcarce and +2
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- Megalithic Monuments, Megalithic Art, Megaliths

Animal remains have been reported from along with human burials from megalithic sites all over the world and India. The animal remains of the 'associated' and 'articulate' variety found reflect interaction, ecology, domestication, social... more